Continuing to play three formats close to impossible - Shakib Al Hasan

I have to plan well about it with BCB and after doing that moving forward would be an intelligent move: Shakib © Getty
Star Bangladesh all-rounder Shakib al Hasan has said that continuing to feature in all three formats going forward is next to impossible for him in the context of the pandemic-enforced quarantine constraints as well as his young family.

Shakib, who opted out of the two-match Test series against New Zealand for personal reasons, revealed that he was contemplating hard about his Test future.

''I know what [format] is important for me and I know what [format] should get the preference. Right now time has come when I am thinking about Test cricket and whether I will play Tests again or even if I play, how will I play,'' Shakib was quoted as saying to a private TV channel NTV on Thursday (December 23).

"When you play two Tests in 40 to 42 days, it cannot be fruitful so certainly it encourages playing selective matches. I am not saying that I will retire from Test but it can happen that I am not playing T20s after the 2022 World Cup and at that point I might play one-day and Test. But continuing three formats together is almost close to impossible,'' he said

The 34-year-old added that he would sit with the Bangladesh Cricket Board at the turn of the year and chalk out his future plan. ''I have to plan well about it with BCB and after doing that moving forward would be an intelligent move. So if I can plan by January I will know what is happening for the whole year,'' he said.

Shakib, who regularly features in different franchise-based T20 tournaments, added that quarantine and bio-bubbles were taking a toll on him.

''Remaining in quarantine is like staying in jail, but in jail at least you can talk with someone. It's not like players roam around a lot like going out in shopping mall or in cinema hall but when you know mentally that you cannot move, the problem starts there.

''Look New Zealand did not send their team to the Under-19 World Cup considering mental health. What I feel is that corona is not going away quickly and we have to live with it. So we have to find some other way. Probably quarantine or bio bubble is not the best solution,'' he said.

Shakib, who lives in the USA with his wife and three children, added that he was concerned about his children and the impact his prolonged absence (due to cricket calendar and quarantines) could have on their psychology.

''When you have three small children and you cannot give time and suddenly you meet them for eight to 10 days and then again you are away for couple of months and again you meet for 15 days it's a very unhealthy situation and I feel it will leave an impact on their growth. I don't want them to go through it,'' he concluded.